He Loved Her, She Loathed Him
by MadisonAnnabelle
Summary: James had loved her for years, and Lily had loathed him for what seemed even longer. But this was the year that that was going to change, and the year of firsts and lasts that would break and fill their hearts with love and hate.
1. Chapter 1

He loved her. He loved the way her eyes shined like two emeralds, he loved the way her fiery hair burned against the pale snow, he loved the way her laugh chimed through his ears like sleigh bells.

_Lily._

She loathed him. She hated his messy, raven hair, she hated how his glasses sat so crooked on his nose, how his robes were always ripped on the seams and cloaked in dirt, and especially the way his hair looked like dark coals against the bright white snow.

_James._

* * *

Lily smoothed her hand down on the brick wall of the corridor, trailing around the corner and down the grand set of stairs to the Great Hall. Tonight's the big Halloween feast, _My last one at Hogwarts, ever,_ she thinks. This year, Lily will have her last everything at Hogwarts. Her last potions class, her last exams... _Last fights with Potter,_ she thought sadly. She didn't know why the thought had saddened her, she loathed the boy. But their arguments had made up a large portion of her time at Hogwarts (especially now that they were Head Boy and Girl, sharing a dorm together) , and she had to admit, she would miss the two of them bickering back and forth. _Ridiculous, _she thinks, _he could care less if he ever sees me again, _and with that thought still in mind, she floats around the corner, entering the Great Hall for her last Halloween feast.

* * *

James nervously tapped his foot against the stone floors, his food untouched (which he usually crammed down in a few seconds) in front of him. _Today's the day__, I'm going to get Lily to go out with me._ This was his last chance. He might never see her again after they leave Hogwarts, he wanted to at least get a proper date with her. James continued kicking his foot around on the stone floor, chewing on his lip nervously while he searched for her.

He supposed he could have done it anytime, in the morning in their dorm, before bed, between classes, anytime. But he didn't know, this time just felt.. right.

"Oi, calm down mate, I'm sure it'll all go swimmingly," said Sirius, his mouth dribbling with pumpkin juice. James just shook his head and looked back toward the entrance doors to the great hall, running his long, slender fingers through his messy raven hair.

He was just about to give up and go back to eating when a long flash of fiery hair came around the corner, which could only belong to the lovely Lily. She walked down the Gryffindor table, her head bowed and her arms crossed, not looking at anyone. He stood up and tried to say something, but she just went around him and down the table, sitting with Alice.

Now, you'd think James would've taken a hint and just sat down, but being the stubborn James he was, he followed her to her bench and plopped down just centimeters away from her. "'Lo, Lily," he said with a smile. Lily nodded in his direction and went back to picking at a cherry tart, crumbs piling on her plate. James coughed, "Er, Lily? Well you see I've been asking you for a few years now and I dunnno I thought maybe you'd wanna go out with me this weekend? To Hogsmeade? I mean it's fine if you have other plans or you're busy or something or you just ya know don't want to but I just tho-" Lily cut him off mid-ramble with a blank stare, and said, "James, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend."

James jaw fell slack and he licked his lips a few time, trying to get some words out. "Really? Are you sure? Positive? Li-" he cut himself off then, chewing on the corner of his lip while he waited for her response. For the first time of the night, he saw the corners of Lily's lips twitch up in a quick smile, a murmur of a laugh spilling out. She pushed her hair behind her ear and said, "James, you'd think after all these years of you begging for a date, you'd just accept it rather quickly, don't you think so?" James went red and let out a nervous chuckle, "Er well yeah you'd think so. But yes, great, I'm glad. I'll meet you at the the entrance to the Great Hall then, yeah?" Lily nodded and gave James a quick smile, still fiddling with her cherry tart.

A lop-sided grin split across James face, and he slid a clumsy hand through his hair, making it spike in all directions. He did a quick wave and went to walk away, but stopped mid-step and pulled a note out of his pocket. He turned around and sat it in front of Lily, spinning back in the opposite direction and walking away before he could see her face. He figured she'd say something later when they were in the dorm together.

James swaggered back over to Sirius, who was now accompanied by Remus and Peter, his two other best friends. He threw himself down on the bench lazily and stared into space with his goofy grin. Peter, who was sitting next to him, poked him with a short, pudgy finger and said, "Oi Prongs, I take it it went well?" James just continued looking around with that same goofy grin, not wanting to ruin his cloud nine feeling.

* * *

Lily stared down curiously at the neat, crisp square note sitting in front of her. She ran her finger along the creased edges of the note, wondering what it might contain. She decided to leave it for later, when she was alone back in her dorm. Well, mostly alone, apart from James.

She picked up the note and tucked it neatly into the breast pocket of her button up, tucking her robes back together in the front. She continued picking at her bit of cherry tart, idly listening to the conversations going on around her. She hadn't realized until now that not only her best friends, Alice and Dorcas, but the whole table was staring at her. Most likely shocked that she had finally given in after seven years of James' constant nagging for her to date him. She looked a few people down, spying an aggravated Hestia staring back at her. Hestia was a rather.. busty sixth year. Her long, coal black hair and strikingly blue eyes made her rather beautiful, her lips full and peachy. She was a rather large target for the guys, and could you guess who the one she could never get was? James. James Potter. And she. Looked. _Pissed._ Lily quickly lowered her gaze, not wanting any trouble from her tonight. She'd get over it soon enough, surely.

Soon enough, Lily was back in the Head's Common Room, sitting in her favorite recliner in the world, the note still crisply folded. She twirled it around in her hands, before finally lifting the folds up carefully until it was spread out on her lap neatly.

Inside the note was a cute sketch of a field of flowers, roses, daisies, tulips, sunflowers, and, of course, lilies. It was completely black and white except for the lilies, bright yellows and oranges and reds scattered around the paper. She was so engrossed looking at the flowers, she almost didn't see the faint, scratchy loops of cursive writing above the flowers that read, "You're the most beautiful flower I've ever seen, Lily, and I've seen a lot of flowers."

Lily could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as a wide green split across her mouth. She quickly folded up James' note and slipped it into her pocket again, quickly walking to her room and slipping behind the door. She walked over to her trunk and sat in front of it, searching it for the little box her mother had given her when she was little. She found it tucked away in the bottom of her trunk, perfectly intact. She opened it to reveal a few small seashells, a picture of her, Petunia (before they hated each other), their mother and father, and their cat, Romilda. She lifted up the photo and slipped the note underneath, closing the box and tucking it neatly into the bottom of her trunk again.

Lily lifted herself off the floor and slipped off her uniform, trading them for her favorite nightgown and fuzzy socks. She climbed into bed and burrowed under her blankets, a warm feeling spreading through out her. She felt happy.

She rolled over onto her side and peeked out to look at the moon through her window. It was a full moon, and just like every other year, James, Peter, Remus and Lupin were gone for the night. She didn't know where they went, but she had stopped trying to find out, too.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't really know why she hated James. I mean, other than the countless pranks and rude remarks he had made in their early years together, he had genuinely been trying to be a gentleman lately. He _was_ rather attractive... And a bit amusing. Just a bit. She didn't want it to get to his head, she'd never admit that. She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts out. No, of course she didn't find him amusing or attractive. He was a prat to her. She didn't know why she even accepted his date invitation anyways. The note was silly. It was all silly.

But... then again, she did want to give him a chance.. No, no she didn't. _Oh _Merlin_ Lily, stop being so indecisive, _she thought. She didn't know what to think, actually. She groaned loudly and burrowed her head under her pillow, maybe sleep would help her clear her head. _  
_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Heyaheyaheya, I maybe not the best first chapter in the world, but ya knowww. Sorry if it seemed kind of skippy or short, but yeah, follow, read, review, give me some feedback! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe if I ignore it it'll go away.

_Knock. Knock knock knock._

James shoved his head under the pillows, trying to block out the excessive knocking at his door. He groaned loudly as the knocking got louder. Just as he was about to shout a rather rude remark at the knocker, he heard the sweetest, chiming voice float through the door saying, "_Merlin, _James, you prat, wake up. You're late for breakfast." Okay, so maybe the words weren't that sweet, but the person speaking the words sure was.

He hopped out of bed, still in his boxers, and ran over to the door, swinging it open. He leaned in the doorway almost completely naked, with his wild bedhead sticking up all over the place. He watched Lily's face grow red as she opened and closed her mouth a few times. He grinned wildly at her and tried to pat down his hair a little bit, saying, "Mornin' Lils, care to join me for a nice cold shower?" He winked at her and she scowled, crossing her arms.

"If I were you, I'd skip the shower and just come have some breakfast. I've been waiting for you for ages, so hurry up."

Wait a second.

Did Lily. Did Lily just say that. Lily. Lily waited. Lily waited for James? Him? _James Potter?_ He knew it was stupid but this made him incredibly happy, he had been waiting on her for years, and she had never even given him the time of day.

He rushed into his bathroom and slipped a hand through his hair, brushed his teeth, and got dressed within a few minutes. He left his tie hanging awkwardly around his neck, bounding down the stairs two at a time and through the Heads portrait hole, running straight into Lily's front. She started to wobble backwards, and he caught her by wrapping his arm around her waist securely. He flashed her a quick grin and then spun her upright, facing the direction of the Great Hall. He began to walk ahead when she grabbed his arm and stopped him, spinning him around to face her. She grabbed the ends of his tie and stated, "You look rather silly just hanging that thing around your neck like that. Let me," and she continued to make up his tie around his neck. James could feel the heat reaching his neck, and he blushed red as her cool fingers laced against his hot skin.

Lily finished with his tie and patted it firmly in place, in the center of his chest. Then she looped her arm through his and began to march towards the Great Hall. By the time they had arrived at the Great Hall, it was mostly empty, everyone going back to their dorms to fetch their supplies. James followed Lily down to the end of the table, grabbing whatever hadn't already been scarfed down by the other members of their house. They sat in silence for a few moments, Lily nibbling on a bit of toast, James wolfing down an egg and ham biscuit.

After he had practically inhaled his plate of food and his orange juice, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, "So uh, did you, er, read my note?" For a second Lily's eyes got a bit wide and a light blush spread across her cheeks, but she quickly recovered. She looked up at him a few times and then, looking up towards the ceiling, said, "Yeah, I read it."

James had wanted her to say what she thought of it, or him in particular. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, what did you think of it then?"

Lily looked him in the eye now and stated, "I thought it was lovely. It was very sweet of you, James." She gave him a smile and he returned with a wicked, lopsided beam of a smile. He was happy that she liked the note, and he absolutely adored it when she said his name.

* * *

Snape sat at the far end of the Slytherin table, shredding his toast into bits angrily as he watching _his_ Lily sit with _James. _Now, he knew they hadn't been friends for a while, but it was _still his Lily._ His best friend since childhood. His only _real _friend. The love of his life. But of course he had royally screwed that up (which was another story for another time.) He could hear Lily's perfect chiming laugh ringing throughout the nearly empty Great Hall, could see her and James sharing wide grins. _He_ should be eating breakfast with Lily. Not _James. _Snape loathed James. Partially because he had been tormenting him and Lily ever since they came to Hogwarts together their first year, but mostly because he had finally succeeded in stealing his Lily away from him.

Snape wanted to be mad at Lily. _Merlin, _he would do anything to forget her. To stop missing her. Stop loving her. But ever since they met that day so many years ago, she was always on his mind. He hated how much he cared for her. But looking at her, all that anger went away. Just the sight of her freckle-specked, rosy cheeks rising in a grin, her bright emerald eyes glowing whenever she laughed, made it all go away. Just a simple glance in his direction from her could cheer him up. _Too bad you mucked things up, _ he thought to himself bitterly. He sighed as he picked up his shredded piece of toast, nibbling on it as he watched Lily tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. After a few moments of what he called 'observing' (also known as stalking but hey he didn't want to put a damper on the mood, right?), he watched Lily and James rise and walk out of the Great Hall together.

Snape threw down his shredded toast and made a clear space on the table in front of him. He slammed his head down and let out a groan, _why can't I just fix things with her already._ Just then, Snape felt someone plop down next to him and looked up to see a fellow Slytherin of whom he could not remember the name of. He nodded in his direction and the boy grunted in response before leaning towards him and saying, "Not still moping around about that mudblood, are ye Snape?" Snape shook his head in response, lifting from his seat and gathering his things, swiftly walking out of the hall to head to his first class.

* * *

Lily and James spent the rest of their week like that, waking up and walking to the Great Hall together to have breakfast, James walking her to all of her classes, eating dinner together, and then chatting in their Common Room while they did their class work (every now and then accompanied by Remus, Sirius and Peter, of course.) They'd gotten rather close in an oddly short amount of time, and both were absolutely ecstatic.

James was walking down the corridor, the night before their date, thinking about this weekend, he knew that now that they were closer, their Hogsmeade date tomorrow was going to be amazing. He couldn't believe it was already time. He had it all planned out, he was going to ta-"James! There you are," Lily shouted, running towards him from the end of the corridor. James watched her run after him, her long red hair fanning out behind her, cheeks red. She looked so _lovely._ He stopped in his tracks and waited for her to catch up, slowing his pace once they began walking again so she could catch her breath.

"So er- we're still on for the weekend, eh?" Lily had a small blush on her cheeks from running after him (or maybe something else?) and she was licking the dry patches on her lips.

James let out a hearty chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. "You really think I'd cancel on you after all these years? Sure we're still on, Lils." He smiled down at her, another thing he adored, he was about a head taller than her. She was getting cuter by the minute.

She watched a smile flutter across her lips and she licked her lip again, nodding at the ground. She looked up at him after a moment and asked, "So, what _do _you have planned?" James smirked and threw his arm around her shoulder stating, "Well my dear, that's a secret. And if I told you my secrets, I'd have to kill you." He gave her a stern look and she laughed in response, throwing her arm around his waist. They walked like this all the way to their dorms, sitting up for a while and chatting with each other.

When it neared about 10 o'clock, Lily suggested they get to bed, and they parted their ways for the night. James didn't want to see her go, but he figured sleeping a little would calm his nerves. He walked into his room and shut the door behind him, not bothering to get undressed as her jumped into bed and threw himself under the covers. He looked out the window at the moon and thought about Lily, building scenarios of tomorrow in his head, until finally, his eye lids became heavy and drooped, finally closing as sleep took over and he drifted off.

* * *

Lily closed the door behind her as she walked into her room, changed into a soft, purple nightgown and crawled into bed. She tucked her blanket around her, drifting off to sleep to dream about their upcoming date.

* * *

James rolled over. 11 o'clock. Great. He'd slept an hour. His nerves were _killing _him. James waited until about midnight before he crawled through the connecting portrait hole from the heads to the Gryffindor Common Room, quietly jogging up to Sirius' dorm.

He reached the door and pushed it open, trying not to wake up Remus and Peter, but alas, Peter heard the creak of the door and gave a shriek, causing the three of the boys to wake up. Remus immediately sat up, swishing at the lights in the room and flooding them all with the warm yellow glow of the candles. Peter also sat up, but Sirius still shoved his head further under his pillow, muttering something about food, shocker. James walked over and yanked the pillow off of Sirius, throwing his covers and all in the floor. Sirius groaned and managed to right himself into a sitting position. He yawned, stretching his back out before muttering, "Whaddya want at this time in the night?"

James paced the room back and forth, running his hands through his hair anxiously. He coughed and started, "Well you see, Lily and I have our date tomorrow. I'm a bloody wreck, guys, I don't know what to do. What if this is my only chance? What if I completely ruin things? What i-"

Sirius interrupted him, rubbing a hand along his eyes to get the sleepiness out, stating, "Oh come off, you prat. You two have been nearly inseparable this past week. It'll go fine, I promise. _Swimmingly, _in fact," Sirius said, a smug grin on his face.

"Okay, one, stop with the "swimmingly". Two, you don't know that it won't go wrong! She probably thinks I'm weird. Oh Merlin, do I stink? Do I have bad breath? Oh Merlin, _Merlin, _save me."

Remus nodded in agreement with Sirius, stating, "It's true, James. Whenever Lily and I have our study sessions in the library, she's been talking about how excited she is." This cheered him up a bit, but then Peter squeaked out, "If all goes wrong, you still have Hestia!" he squeaked again after saying her name, giggling to himself. This of course made James even more anxious.

He sat down on what used to be his bed, jamming his fists against his cheeks. He puffed out his chest and lay back, throwing the pillow over his face and muttering into it, "S'alright if I spend the night 'ere?" Maybe he'd be more calm if he wasn't so close to her for the night. They all grunted a short yes and crawled back into their beds, Sirius complaining about all of his bed sheets and pillows being in the floor. Remus shut out the lights with a swish of his wand, and the four boys drifted off the sleep, waking up to the occasional mutterings of food from Sirius.

* * *

**A/N: Okay guys, sorry that we still haven't gotten to the date. I wanted to stick a little fluff and Snape in there before we got to it. But anyways, the next chapter should be up within a few days, I hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me what you think, thanks! :)**_  
_


	3. Chapter 3

James woke up back in the his Heads dorm, he guessed he'd wondered back sometime in the night. He rolled over and grabbed his watch and glasses off his nightstand, shoving his glasses up his nose and waiting for his eyes to adjust to the bright light flooding his room. He lifted his watch to his face and saw that it was already time he should be meeting with Lily!

He went to jump out of bed, getting caught on his sheets and tripping on the floor. He righted himself and headed to the bathroom, throwing his tooth brush in his mouth. He heard a knock at his door then, and a sweet voice saying, "James?"

James was just about to spit out the last of his tooth paste when he saw his door open slowly, and a freckled Lily popped around the corner. She looked at his bed and around his room, finally seeing him standing in the doorway to his bathroom, yet again in his underwear. She blushed a deep red and stated, "James, we really need to stop meeting like this." He chuckled and she began to walk out of his room, hollering over her shoulder, "I'll be waiting out here, and grab your cloak, it's really chilly today."

James smiled to himself as he got ready, running a quick hand through his hair, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose (they were broken on one side, he was simply too lazy to fix them), and pulling on a deep red sweater with jeans and black lace ups. He walked out into the Heads Common Room and saw Lily standing by the window, looking out at the lake. He was shock to see when he got closer that it was snowing. James stood in his doorway for a moment or two, taking in the sight of Lily. She had pulled on a bright green sweater, the neck and sleeves poking out from under her black cloak. She turned around then, blushing when she realized he had been watching her. He grinned at her and put up his pointer finger, gesturing for her to wait a moment.

He came back a few seconds later, midnight blue cloak slung over one arm. He walked to the portrait hole, opening it and looking back at Lily. He folded out his arm and said, "After you, m'lady." Lily laughed and walked through the portrait hole, looping her arm through James and dragging him behind her.

James was rather excited about what he'd planned for them, and he began walking at a rather fast pace to get to Hogsmeade. Lily, who was quite a bit shorter, had to take several steps to match one of his. "James, slow down!" James blew a puff of air out of his cheeks, his hair flopping up and down in the front. He stopped and turned around, looking Lily up and down. He shrugged into his big blue cloak, reaching forward and grabbed her, slinging her over his shoulder.

Lily's face blushed red (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and she gave him a not-so-hard hit on the shoulder blade. "James. _James._ Put me down this instant." James only laughed in response as she continued beating on his back, until finally she quit and started laughing as well.

With James walking so quickly, they reached the entrance to Hogsmeade in no time. Lily still over his shoulder, they got some rather weird looks as he pushed through the lot of people, shouting, "Oi, coming through here, watch yourselves." The two passed Sirius, Remus and Peter on their way, and they all through out cat calls as James winked at them.

Remus and Peter both shouted things like, "Go Prongs!", and "Good luck, mate!" And then there was Sirius, who thankfully wasn't heard by Lily, saying, "Tell us what her knickers look like!" Which was followed by a rather large thud as Remus smacked Sirius over the head with his book.

After they'd reached a relatively less crowded area, James gently set Lily down on a bench outside of the Three Broomsticks. Lily's face was red, and her hair looked like it was a curly fire around all the snowflakes that had settled in it. James' glasses slid down his nose as he plopped down beside her, and she grabbed them right off his face. "James. Your glasses. They're broken." She looked up at him and he shrugged in response as she pulled out her wand a muttered a jumble of words under her breath. She reached up and slid them back on his face, pushing his hair off his forehead. He muttered out something of a "thanks" to her, going red where her fingers had laced against his skin. She stood up and lifted up her arms saying, "So, are we eating in here, or what?"

James hopped off the bench and said, "Well, I hadn't really taken the weather into consideration, so we'll have to just stay inside, yeah, we're eating here." Lily thought for a moment and looked back up at him saying, "No, let's go with what you had planned. Don't worry, it won't be too cold." He watched her as she looked around for a moment, picking up a large, empty jar sitting by a trash can. She lifted off the lid and stuck her wand to the lip of the jar, whispering something under her breathe as a few bits of blue fire shot out into the jar. She shut the jar and walked over to James, showing him what she'd done. Immediately he felt some warmth come back to his nose and cheeks and hands, and he smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the Three Broomsticks with him.

He walked up to the bar and ordered a fish and chips, Lily asked for the same. They grabbed four, warm Butterbeers on their way out, James leading Lily down the mostly empty, snow covered road. They pasted several shops, their doorbells tinkling like sleigh bells.

After walking for a short time, they reached a rather large clearing that Lily assumed used to be some sort of flower field. James trudged through the snow, Lily jumping into the spaces where his feet had been so she wouldn't get too snowy. James stopped after a little bit of walking, and pulled out a thin yellow blanket from the inside of his cloak. He spread it out widely and it paled against the snow. He smiled over at Lily, grabbing their plates of food and plopping down, sitting the food next to him. He patted the spot in front of him and Lily plopped down, crossing her legs Indian style. She set the jar of blue flames in between them, rubbing her hands together.

Even with the fire, Lily's hands were still a bit cold and, having noticed, James took them and folded them in his, putting them up to his mouth as he blew hot air into the small gap between her fingers. Lily looked at him, her big gleaming eyes staring into his. Her cheeks got a bit pinker, and it wasn't from the cold. They sat like this for a while, talking about the most random things, their food laying forgotten to the side.

After talking for a short time, James let go of her hands, reaching over to grab the Butterbeers, handing Lily one. They had been sitting near enough to the fire that they were still warm, and they both took grateful swigs as the warm liquid coated their insides.

James sat down his Butterbeer after taking a few more swigs, looking at Lily and saying, "Have you ever had a snowball fight?"

Lily sat down her Butterbeer and looked at James, shaking her head a few times. "No, but they seem awfully fun." James eyes grew rather large and he jumped up, grabbing Lily's hand and pulling her farther out into the field. Lily squealed and laughed as the snow seeped into her shoes, running after James. He stopped her after a moment and ran a little while further down the field, leaving prints in the newly shed snow. She watched him turn around, leaning down to the snow.

He made a smile pile of snowballs, stacking them in front of his feet. He picked one up and chucked it in the air, catching it smoothly. "Okay, so, I'm sure you know the objective of this. There is none. Just. Just hit me. With snow. Everywhere," he said with a straight face. Seconds later he let out a cry and came charging at Lily, throwing the snowball at her shoulder. She squeaked and grabbed handfuls of snow, shaping it into a not so smooth ball, slinging it at his back as he ran back to his mound of snow. He hurtled snowball after snowball at her, and she threw her rather square lumps of snow at him, her aim having much improved since the time she threw a rock at him (well, tried) and had hit the tree, two feet to his left.

They continued on like this for a while, until both their hands and feet were numb from the snow. James started to walk over to the fire, and while he had his back turned, Lily sprinted up to him and tackled him to the ground, rolling over the top of him and landing beside him. James laughed loudly and looked over at her adoringly. He loved her. He loved the way her eyes shined like two emeralds, he loved the way her fiery hair burned against the pale snow, he loved the way her laugh chimed through his head like sleigh bells.

Lily looked back at him, her brow dipping. She loathed him. She hated his messy, raven hair, she hated how his glasses sat so crooked on his nose, how his robes were always ripped at the seams and cloaked in dirt, and especially the way his dark hair looked like dark coals against the bright white snow. But, at the same time, she knew she was lying to herself. And she had to admit that all the things she claimed to hate about him, she adored. How _could_ she hate him, he was simply wonderful.

They stared at each other for a while, each slowly moving towards each other, until finally they were so close that they could feel the other's hot breath on their cheeks and there noses pressed against each other. Lily's eyes fluttered and she whispered, "Are you going to kiss me or not, Potter." James smiled as he inclined his head to hers, his lips fitting perfectly against hers. He slowly pulled away, kissing at the corners of her mouth and chin. She pulled his face back up directly in front of hers and muttered, "I can't stand you, Potter," and she pulled him in for another kiss, loving the taste of his lips against hers, like mint and Butterbeer.

They stayed like that for a while, arms and lips intertwined, until James looked at his watch and realized they only had about fifteen minutes to get back. He gathered their things and they headed back to Hogwarts, leaving the empty bottles of Butterbeer and cold food in the trashcan outside Honeydukes, putting out the small jar of fire. They walked back to Hogwarts, fingers laced together the whole way.

When they reached the doors the Hogwarts, she saw Remus, Sirius and Peter waiting for James anxiously. Not wanting to keep him from his friends, she hopped up and pecked him lightly on the nose, before skipping off down the hall the their Common Room. She waved at Sirius and the others as she walked by, winking at them.

_I really, really do hate him,_ Lily thought to herself adoringly, _So much.__  
_

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys :3 A few of you asked about my comparisons to snow and what not at the beginning of the first chapter, and, well, this is where it ties in haha. I hope you enjoyed it, please tell me what you think in a review! **

**Thank you all for reading :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_Knock. _

_Knock, knock, knock. _

**_Knock._**

Lily poked her head around the corner, standing in the doorway to her bathroom in a towel, a toothbrush hanging out of your mouth. _Knock knock. _Lily groaned and sat her tooth-brush down, rinsing her mouth before walking over to her door. She opened the door and in flung a tall, lanky James, falling flat on his face beside her feet. Lily looked down at him, chuckling as he rolled onto his back to look up at her.

His green jumper had pulled up to show his belly button, and she watched as he pulled it back down and tucked his arm behind his head, stating, "Ya know, I meant to do that." He winked at her and then hopped up, looking her up and down. Lily suddenly remembered what she was wearing. She tightened her towel around her and stepped behind the door.

"Er- um, did you need something, James?" James had gone a bit pink in the face, and after not-so-subtly checking her out, looked her in the eyes and shrugged, saying, "S'just wondering if you wanted to go with me for breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure thing, sounds like a plan. I should probably get dressed first though, so I'll be back in just a second, yeah?"

"I mean, _I _wouldn't have a problem with you coming to breakfast naked, Evans." James winked at her and she lightly shoved his shoulder, retreating back to her bathroom to get dressed.

She came back a moment later wearing a light pink and yellow floral shirt over blue jeans, a yellow jumper folded over her arm. She looked at James, who was now sitting with his back on the floor, feet up in the air against the doorway. She nudged his side with the toe of her shoe and he rolled over, jumping up in front of her. He beamed down at her and folded out an arm. Lily looped her arm around his and walked to the portrait hole, James stopping to pop open the door for her. As she walked by him, she stopped to hop up and give him a quick peck on the nose, hopping out into the hallway.

James followed after her, looping his arm around her waist securely as they walked towards the Great Hall together.

Then it hit him. Were they.. _together? _What if he asked and made things weird? But what if he didn't ask and he never knew? James groaned to himself and tilted his head back, staring at the high structures above him.

"Something wrong, James?"

James looked down at the ground and watched his feet. He cleared his throat after a moment and said, "Um, well, Lil- uh, so are we, uh, together? I mean, ya know, are we, uh, _together, _together?" He shot a quick glance at her and cleared his throat, waiting for her response.

Lily noticed how he wouldn't look at her and she reached up, tilting his head towards hers. "Is that what you want?" She had a small smile on her lips, and he blushed slightly and nodded quickly, squeezing the hand he had on her waist.

Lily smiled up at him and said, "If that's what you want, and I know I want it, then yes." James beamed down at her and he started to talk when she put a finger to his mouth, quieting him. "But _first _of all, I expect a proper request."

James shot her a bewildered look, and when she nodded her head at him, he spun in front of her and stopped her from walking any further, getting on one knee.

"Will you, Lily Evans, do me the greatest honor of being my girlfriend?" Lily through her head back and laughed, looking down at him and stating, "I didn't ask for a _proposal, _James. But yes, yes I will. Now come on, I'm starving." She tilted her head down, her hair curtaining around the side of her face, concealing the beaming smile that had creased her lips.

James walked with a light skip in his step, grinning wildly as they walked down the corridor.

They reached the Great Hall moments later, James's arm still wrapped around Lily's waist. They entered the Great Hall, walking down to the center of the Gryffindor table, plopping down across from Peter, Sirius and Remus.

Naturally, Sirius was inhaling fried tomatoes and sausages like it was his last meal, not noticing James' and Lily's arrival.

"Sirius." Sirius grunted in response, looking at his food still. James coughed, repeating Sirius' name a few times. Sirius still looking at his plate, James reached over and plucked up a sausage, throwing it in his mouth. Sirius looked up and shouted a "hey!" and then saw Lily, arm looped around James' waist. Sirius smirked at Lily. "It was just a matter of time before she gave in to our group of good looks. I knew you couldn't resist, Lilykins." He winked at her and she responded blushed, glaring at him.

"Just kidding, Evans. But I am glad you finally said yes. Poor bloke talks about you all the time," James sat up straight and flipped his hair, stating in a high-pitched voice, "Oh my _god, _did you see Lily's hair today? It was so _shiny, _and her bum-" "Aaaaaalright, okay Sirius I think she get's it." James had a furious red blush spreading across his cheeks, _which was extremely cute, _Lily thought. Lily chuckled along with the others, James getting redder.

Lily looked up and down the table, searching for her best friends, Mary, Alice, Marlene and Dorcus. She didn't see them anywhere, she looked at James, prodding his side and said, "Hey, I think I'm going to run back up to the dorm, I'll meet you in Potions." James nodded and leaned down, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Lily hopped up and threw a wave over her shoulder, half jogging out of the Great Hall.

She made her way up to the Gryffindor Common Room, hopping through the Portrait Hole and looking for her friends. She spotted them piled up on the sofa near the fireplace. Alice was the first one to spot her, and she jumped up, dragging Lily over to the sofa.

Lily started to say something when Marlene shouted out, "LILY EVANS. SOMEONE JUST TOLD US YOU WERE DATING JAMES POTTER!? FACT OR FICTION?"

She reddened and mumbled, "Word sure does travel fast." The three girls squealed loudly and beamed at Lily.

Alice was the only one who questioned it. "Wait. I thought you hated him!"

"Yeah well, I thought I did too up until a few days ago. I mean, he's always been such a prat. But lately, especially this past week, he's been the sweetest, most caring person ever."

Marlene snorted. "Bonus that he's got a nice bum, eh?" The girls laughed and Lily reddened again, shoving Marlene lightly.

Mary looked at her watch and said, "Oh! We'd better get going, it's nearly time for Potions." Lily told them to go ahead, she still needed to run up to the Heads dorm and get her bag. She grabbed her things and headed back down to the Common Room, which was nearly empty of any seventh years.

She walked down the crowded hall to Potions, which was starting to clear up, classes started any seconds now.

Lily was still a hall away from Potions, now late for class. She walked down the hall alone, hoping Professor Slughorn wouldn't be too upset about her tardiness. She had just turned onto the hall to Potions, which was empty, when she felt too large hands settle on her hips. "Oh bloody he-" She stopped when she turned and saw James, his arms wrapped tightly around her hips, pulling her closer.

"You definitely weren't behind me, and I didn't see you when I came around the corner." She squinted up at James and he smirked, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "Just wanted to see you before class."

"James. We have the same class together."

"Yeah but I wanted to-" He kissed her lightly on the nose, "do that," another kiss on the forehead, "and this," two more on her cheeks, "and a little bit of this-" he said, leaning down slowly to kiss her on the lips. His lips were warm and soft against hers, and she relished every second of their contact. She pushed on his chest lightly, breaking apart. "As much as I'd love to continue, we're late for Potions." She grabbed his hand and they walked the remaining distance to Potions, walking in together.

"Ah yes, Mrs. Evans and Mr. Potter. Late again, Potter, that's the third time this term! And Mrs. Evans?" Lily started to speak and he waved it off saying, "Yes, yes, I assume you were helping Mr. Potter here with his Potions essay of course, go sit in the back there's a free table-" He motioned to the large blackboard in the front of the class, where a list of ingredients were, "Get everything you need, don't need anymore interruptions." He smiled at them and they walked to the back of the class, ignoring the hoots from Sirius and Peter. They grabbed the ingredients from the student supply closet, settling at a table behind Remus and Sirius.

Sirius rotated in his chair, grabbing Remus by the collar with him. "Look Evans, I totally understand your eagerness to snog Prongsie here after years of neglect from those lips, but _honestly_ you could take a lesson by me and at least show up to classes on time." Sirius smiled at Lily sincerely and batted his eyelashes. Remus snorted, turning back to face Professor Slughorn. It was Sirius this time who hit Remus over the head with his Potions book (which was rather beat up from hitting people, Lily guessed) Sirius looked back to a slightly red Lily, still with that annoying smile on his face.

"If I do recall correctly, I'm almost positive that it's _I _who has never had a single tardy or missed a class, and _you _who's tardy for nearly every class and has missed the majority of his classes. Correct?" Lily turned to James as she finished. James just nodded adoringly, his head resting on his propped up hand.

Sirius tossed his head back and let out a gasp. "_Wow James way to take one for the team._" Lily snorted as Sirius turned around, slouching down in his chair. Sirius continued to grumble about this during class, talking loudly to Remus, "I was thinking maybe we, the three of us, could definitely get Marauders jackets. How coo- THERE'S NO RUDDY NEED TO HIT ME REMUS-"

Classes continued like this for the next few weeks, the four of them (Peter having to pair off with some other student- "Not fair...at all..!") huddling together in the back of classrooms and chatting away. Lily had always been rather close with Remus, for they both were extremely into their studies and other books. But now she was getting closer to all of them and it was quite nice having such odd company all of the time.

* * *

It was getting closer to Christmas now, James and Lily were curled up together in a big armchair, sitting in front of the fire in their mini Heads Common Room. Lily was sitting in James' lap, reading some old poetry her mother had sent her in a package earlier this week. James held a snitch in his hand, letting it fly for a few moments and then jumping half way out of his chair (with many angry protests from Lily) to snatch it back up.

They'd been sitting like this for a while now when Sirius, Remus and Peter bust through the Portrait Hole, a bit of old parchment in Sirius' hand. James grinned, looking from the map to the each of their faces. He scooped Lily up, gently sitting her back in the armchair. He ran into his room and came back a moment later, carrying a thin, silky cloak. Lily looked questioningly at each of them. Sirius and Peter bowed at the foot of her chair, Remus sitting cross-legged to the right of them.

"My dearest Evans," Sirius started. "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present-" He muttered something under his breath. "The Marauder's Map." Lily watched as little blots of ink appeared on the paper, spinning out in silky webs to connect all over the parchment. "Wha-?" She was interrupted by a gasp and the map unfolded to reveal Hogwarts, little dots (which appeared to be people) pacing around on it.

So _this _is how these prats have been sneaking around so often. "Did you lot _make_ this?" She grabbed at it and held it closer, her eyes dragging over every detail. She saw herself in the Heads Common Room, the four boys surrounding her. "It's- It's brilliant!" James leaned over the top of her chair and snatched it up, shoving his glasses up his nose. "Yes well, we are fairly brilliant if you haven't noticed, Lily. And we'll be going here tonight-" He pointed to a spot on the map, right where the statue of the One-Eyed Witch stood.

"Er- why exactly are we spending our night at a statue?" The boys laughed and James shoved the map in his pocket, slinging the cloak on the back of the chair. "Just come on, Lily, it'll be fun. I promise." Lily chewed the corner of her lip for a second, then hopped up. "Well let's get a move on then."

"You're in for a hell of a night, Evans." Sirius winked at her, Peter and Remus both chuckling to themselves. Sirius led the way to the Portrait Hole, Remus and Peter following. After James and Lily had joined them in the hall, he slung his cloak around the both of them. Lily was shocked to see that- well- that she couldn't see anything of James or herself!

"Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I may or may not happen to own a Invisibility Cloak?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's not the best chapter- or story- in the world. Tell me what you think :) **

**Hope you enjoyed!**


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